Expedition 2026

19-03-2026

Oleg
Novokuznetsk

Teddy
Sofia, Bulgaria

Ira
Minsk, Belarus

Vova
Minsk, Belarus

Vlad
Revda

Vitya
Revda

Zhenya
Serov

Sergey
Yekaterinburg

Valentin
Barabinsk

Alexander
Kaliningrad

Vladimir
Krasnodar

Artyom
Perm

Everything about this expedition was splendid. In the photo above, you see the only rainy day we had. This is the first day. Then it rained again on our last day, when we were already packing up. In the span of 10 days, we had not a single drop. Then we had the ambitious plan to split into 4 groups, with the last being Artyom Taranov, who is still rafting down the Unya River. Update: on August 11, 2026, Artyom Taranov returned to Perm after 47 days of water hiking and rafting. The groups had prepared their own autonomous routes only interesting on check dates. For people who have never hiked together before, it is a high risk. But it worked like a charm. I myself was being left alone to think for the first time without the pressure and noise around me. If I needed help with the neighboring bear, starting a fire, or chopping wood, there was always the right person showing up at the most convenient time and disappearing after that in the taiga. Coming and going were not just people, but my thoughts. The overall feeling was that I need to search, but I didn't know what exactly for, although I had a hunch where. I found something unexpected. Still mulling over.

Yekaterinburg–Passazhirsky June 25, 2026

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The Third International Expedition to Dyatlov Pass 2026 has concluded.
Thirteen days of fruitful work by 12 people.

Almost all the participants have already returned home. A full, detailed report will follow later. For now, here's a quick summary...

From June 25 to July 9, 2026, a uniquely organized research expedition to Dyatlov Pass took place. This time, it included 12 participants, whose existing hiking experience was closely intertwined with many years of research into the Dyatlov Pass phenomenon. There wasn't a single armchair Dyatlov scholar looking to take a selfie next to the obelisk. These were real searchers, who don't just sit on forums shouting their theories, but who annually visit the pass in search of the truth.

For the first time, the search tactics were planned in advance, in a closed preparation chat. To ensure efficiency and save time, all 12 participants divided into four groups and selected their own separate search locations. We planned routes in advance using maps and prepared self-contained equipment and food for each group.

Group #1 was led by the well-known Bulgarian explorer Teodora Hadjiyska. Link to Teodora's website: Dyatlovpass.com

This group included professional searchers from Belarus, Irina Tolmatskaya and Vladimir Golub, who have been searching for the cause of the Dyatlov Pass tragedy for the second year in a row. They are active members of the "Angel" Search and Rescue Team.

Group #1 also included Vlad Gusev, a ranger with the Ural forestry department, and his grandson, Victor Gusev, from Revda. Vlad was with us at Dyatlov Pass last summer and was happy to return as part of the expedition this year. Vlad's expertise in "reading" the taiga is invaluable.

Group #1's goal was the most challenging. Using a professional metal detector, they had eight days to comb the as-yet-unexplored area around the tragedy, including the tent site, cedar tree, and stream where the four bodies of the Dyatlov group were found.

The group accomplished its mission and exceeded all expectations. Several significant finds were made, including one under a fallen cedar tree. These will be published and featured on the website Dyatlovpass.com/expedition-2026 after the necessary forensic analysis.

Vlad Gusev, Victor Gribaho and Teddy Hadjiyska working the ground near the Cedar

Group #2, consisting of renowned Dyatlov experts Alexander Zhavoronkov and Vladimir Glotov, was tasked with surveying the area north of Dyatlov Pass and Mount Otorten. They were to take photos and videos of radiation levels and any debris from fallen rocket stages they found. No one had yet conducted monitoring north of Otorten. They will present their findings after July 21, when they return home to Krasnodar Krai and Samara.

Vladimir Glotov, Teddy Hadjiyska, Artyom Taranov, Ira Tolmatskaya, and Alexander Zhavoronkov

Group #3 consisted of four members. Evgeniy Nefyodov from Serov, who was investigating the PD tragedy for the fourth time, was also with us on the winter expedition last summer. Oleg Taimen and I were also in this group. The group also included two precision instrumentation mechanics, Sergey and Valentin. Their task was to dismantle the rocket stage fairing and obtain samples for future analysis. They accomplished this task without any problems, bringing the necessary tools. All parts with numbers were cut off from the fairing and delivered to Yekaterinburg.

Group #3's objectives were to search for strange tracks northwest of Dyatlov Pass, which I had learned about last summer from cryptozoologist Konstantin Skorobogatov. Also included were the search for the second stage fairing, the search for Viktor Potyazhenko's downed MI-4 helicopter, a study of background radiation northwest of Kholat Syakhl, and a search for fallen trees in the same direction.

These tasks were not fully completed due to time constraints and the small number of participants. However, we found something. After the video is processed, several detailed films will be made of the findings, as every step we took was recorded on camera.

Table 1 below is from a scientific article "Biosphere" journal, 2015, showing the petroleum product content (mg/dm³) in cumulative snow cover within the impact zone of the "Soyuz" launch vehicle stage drop area in the Northern Urals from 2007 to 2014.

Group #4 included only one member, whose task was to monitor the area west of Kholat Syakhl. This was renowned explorer Artyom Taranov, a representative of the Perm branch of the LizaAlert Search Squad.

Artyom has now reached the village of Yaksha and sent several interesting photographs of damaged rocks and trees. He will provide full details later. We will analyze the information and make it publicly available.

This was a brief overview of the expedition. A detailed report and a full-length film will follow.

A huge thank you to member Sergey for the delicious lunch in Yekaterinburg on our return. And, of course, to his mother, the head of the food production department, who prepared it for our arrival.

I thank everyone for the company, positivity and bright, unforgettable evenings. It was, just like last and the year before last summer, very cool!!!

Photos

Album 1

Album 2

Iliacha's base - Dyatlov Pass - Cemeteries

Album 3

Ushma - Izba v kedrovnike - Base camp - Dyatlov Pass - Ivdel

Album 4

Otorten

Album 5

Manpupuner

Album 6

Unya river

Album 7

Otorten

June 26. Arrive in Ivdel in the morning by train from Yekaterinburg. We'll board a GAZ-66 (6-7 hours) for lunch at Ilyich's base (a non-residential building in the taiga) and make the two-hour hike to a hut in a cedar forest, 5 km away.

June 27. Hike 15 km over the Chaikonur Pass to a stream in a "drunken" forest.

June 28. Cross the watershed and descend into the crooked forest of the fourth right tributary of the Lozva, below the cedar. Set up base camp. Collect firewood.

June 29. A rest day for those tired. You can rest at the camp. On this day, we'll climb to the site of the Dyatlov group's tent, to the obelisk. Then, to the summit of Mount Kholat Syakhl (for those not tired).

June 30. The expedition is divided into two groups. The first group, led by Teddy Hadjiyska, remains at base camp for fieldwork near the famous cedar. The second group moves 15 km closer to Mount Otorten. Camping is done without firewood, but with gas. In bad weather, it can be cold at the higher elevations, in the treeless zone on the ridge. Preparing a hot dinner can be difficult. Be mentally prepared for this.

July 1. On this day, the expedition again splits into two mobile groups. The first group includes those wishing to ascend Mount Otorten. They set off for the summit without tents (5 km), ascend, and can return later that day for an overnight stay. Alternatively, they can take down their tents and spend the night near the summit of Otorten.

The second group hikes 15 km. We'll head to a new location, the outliers, to the site of the crash of an unidentified space object (probably a type of rocket). We'll set up base camp.

July 2. Rest day for the tired. We'll explore the surrounding area and the outliers. It was in this very spot three years ago that giant footprints were discovered (photos available). We'll search for the footprints. We'll look for a suitable fragment of the crashed spacecraft to carry.

July 3. We'll return to the third right tributary of the Lozva (Yeti's campsite). If the weather is good, we'll try to reach our base camp under Mount Kholat Syakhl (30 km) this day.

July 4. This day, we can hike lightly to the Auspiya river valley and explore the new site that was found during the winter expedition that could allegedly be Dyatlov group's labaz.

July 5. Day in reserve to account for bad weather and other unexpected hurdles.

July 6. Day in reserve to account for bad weather and other unexpected hurdles.

July 8. Morning hike 5 km to Ilyich's base (not a residential building in the taiga), where a GAZ-66 will be waiting for the drop at 11:00 am. That same evening, board the train in Ivdel to Yekaterinburg.